were amplified by the rhythms of the sugar cane milling Until recently, the artists in this exhibition were machines, the machete strokes that cut the cane, the dismissed as “ethnographic:” conjured in isolation and overseer’s lash, and the planter’s language, and gave birth under the mystical Voodoo spell. Latin American art to a yearning for freedom.10 historians often selectively excluded Caribbean artists, The 1791 Haitian revolution posed a set of absolutely favoring the Hispanophone countries and omitting central political questions. As Laurent Dubois states, the French, Dutch, Anglophone and other islands. In Haitian revolutionaries were survivors of the Middle Pas- the last decade, a new generation of scholars emerged: sage and carried with them the African spirit of indepen- Tatiana Flores, Michelle Stephens, Jerry Philogene, and dence.11 In her book, Haiti, Hegel and Universal History many others, who have suggested nuanced definitions Susan Buck Morss claims that the “Haitian revolution of Caribbean identity, and placed it firmly within the informed the Hegelian master/slave dialectic and that it Diasporic and Trans-Atlantic discourses. stands above the French and American revolutions.”12 Creating Dangerously humbly follows in their foot- It inspired the abolitionists, the Civil Rights move- steps and attempts to reveal the almost invisible linkages ment, and the Black Lives Matter movement. This between the mainland Haitian artists and their contem- revolutionary creativity imbues the artworks in Creating porary colleagues. The exhibition proposes a system of Dangerously. It also sends out danger signals to those definitions that binds together the works on display into who are in power. a close knit body of cross-cultural dialogs and traditional connections. It conveys the multiple vantage points that The more traditional artists in our exhibit ironically converge and articulate the Caribbean diasporic experi- – and no doubt intentionally – hint at the dangers that ence. simmers just below the surface of their bucolic Haitian landscapes through their valiant attempts to hide it from Creating Dangerously emphasizes the resilience of view: Haiti as Paradise defies the reality known to all! the Haitian people, communicating their optimism and their commitment to the survival of their unique Hector Hippolyte, Jacques Wesley, Wilfrid Teleon, and culture. They create in the dangerous context of escalat- Henry Valbrune depict idealized scenes of Haitian life, ing violence and anti-immigrant frenzy. They refute the towns squares, rural villages, children rushing to school, noxious policies of our politicians and the white noise and tropical landscapes. The pastoral scenes, bright of the media. They challenge conventional ideas of art palette and joyous spirit of the paintings could be viewed practices and explore the global realities of the Haitian NYUGEN E. SMITH, Bundlehouse Borderlines No. 6 ( _emembe_ ), as politically safe style reinforced by the state, which 2018, 85 x 54 inches, pen and ink, watercolor, thread, colored PASCALE MONNIN, Sacrificed Angel, Kingdom of this World, artistic diaspora. They provide us with inventive tools conducted an intensive campaign against voodoo’s “su- pencil, acrylic, graphite, gesso, metallic marker, colored pencil, 2004-17, 67 x 31 x 31 inches, raku ware, bone, beads, image with which to reflect on our collective histories. They tea, Diaspora soil, sequins, oil pastel, fabric, lace, canvas on courtesy of the artist. perstitious beliefs,” in which tens of thousands of sacred re-imagine freedom as it emerges from old conventions paper, image courtesy of the artist. voodoo objects were destroyed. and stereotypes; and daily risk everything to create art In the case of Haiti, the island has been an authentic These artists utilized multiple perspective, detailed ren- that boldly guides us towards a more just and humane cultural crucible, the mix of Carib, Arawak/Taino Indi- dering, vivid colors, and simplified human forms. These future. ans, the Spanish invaders, the fearsome Brothers of the stylistic qualities stand in sharp contrast to the highly —Yulia Tikhonova Coast, filibusters, pirates of all kinds from French, En- visible political stance of our contemporary artists. Coordinator of Gallery and Museum Services, 2019 glish, and more than thirty African tribes. Caribbean-ing Other Westerners invested in the development of is a global condition.8 The artists in Creating Dangerously Haitian culture, as they continued to search for their deploy a multitude of languages to support freedom alter-ego – the exotic other. In the 1940s and ’50s Haiti struggles worldwide. was touched by the globalized spread of Modernism. Image on Cover DIDIER WILLIAM, M mache toupatou ave l, 2018, 48 x 60 inches, collage, acrylic, ink, and carving on panel, image courtesy of the artist. The Black Atlantic – shaped and sustained by the slave André Breton, Maya Deren and Wilfredo Lam were trade – united the continents of Africa, South and North drawn to Haiti in search of “raw” imagination untainted ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS America and Europe in an indissoluble bond. Between by Western culture.13 They championed its “unspoiled” 1492 and 1820, millions of African people crossed the nature, which led to the subsequent commodification I am deeply grateful to the artists for participating and contributing their compelling work to this exhibition. Most of all, Atlantic. Haiti was one of the ports through which the of Haitian “primitive” art by Western collectors. Local I wish to thank the faculty of Arts and Art History for their intellectual and emotional support of this project; President “insemination of the Caribbean womb with the blood art patrons, Stanley Popiel and Ingrid Feddersen, who Dr. Nunez, Dr. Salka, and the administration of ECSU. Without Mark McKee, the preparator, and the gallery staff, this 9 of Africa” took place. This violently brutal migration worked in Haiti on a health mission, gifted the selec- exhibition would not be possible. played a key role in a call for freedom rooted in a shared tion of traditional paintings on view. Early scholars saw African heritage. In the words of Natalio Galan, the Haitian art as important evidence of an African diaspora ancient pulsations brought by the African diaspora, the aesthetic that journalists described as naïve and exotic. memory of sacred drums, and the words of the griot Tuesday & Wednesday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday 1-7 p.m. | Saturday & Sunday 2-5 p.m. www.easternct.edu/artgallery/ Creating dangerously: Art and Revolution 10 Natalio Galán, musician, composer, teacher and writer, gained limited but international recognition during his lifetime. Galan wrote music for films and composed two All events are free and open to the public. Vladimir Cybil Charlier, Sasha Huber, Edouard Duval-Carrie, Pascale Monnin, Nyugen E. Smith, and operas and other compositions. With the event of the Cuban revolution he returned to his native land, where for several years he flourished as composer and teacher and www.easternct.edu Didier William. Also on view, art works from Eastern’s Haitian art collection, as well as loans from Trinity began a writing career as music critic for the Diario Revolución. College, Pioneer Works (Brooklyn), and private collectors. 11 Dubois, Ibid. 13 André Breton came to Haiti in December 1945 and was dazzled by the work of Hippolyte, He acquired five works by Hippolyte and toured them across Europe, calling it a new form January 17 — March 12, 2020 12 Susan Buck-Morss, Hegel, Haiti and Universal History. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2009. She places the Haitian experience at the core of political and of Black Surrealism. Opening reception: January 23, 4-6 p.m. social modernity: “Scholars of modern philosophies of freedom are hobbled in attempting to do their work in ignorance of Haitian history. The Art Gallery Curatorial Programs 20.indd 1 12/23/19 10:24 AM were amplified by the rhythms of the sugar cane milling Until recently, the artists in this exhibition were machines, the machete strokes that cut the cane, the dismissed as “ethnographic:” conjured in isolation and overseer’s lash, and the planter’s language, and gave birth under the mystical Voodoo spell. Latin American art to a yearning for freedom.10 historians often selectively excluded Caribbean artists, The 1791 Haitian revolution posed a set of absolutely favoring the Hispanophone countries and omitting central political questions. As Laurent Dubois states, the French, Dutch, Anglophone and other islands. In Haitian revolutionaries were survivors of the Middle Pas- the last decade, a new generation of scholars emerged: sage and carried with them the African spirit of indepen- Tatiana Flores, Michelle Stephens, Jerry Philogene, and dence.11 In her book, Haiti, Hegel and Universal History many others, who have suggested nuanced definitions Susan Buck Morss claims that the “Haitian revolution of Caribbean identity, and placed it firmly within the informed the Hegelian master/slave dialectic and that it Diasporic and Trans-Atlantic discourses. stands above the French and American revolutions.”12 Creating Dangerously humbly follows in their foot- It inspired the abolitionists, the Civil Rights move- steps and attempts to reveal the almost invisible linkages ment, and the Black Lives Matter movement. This between the mainland Haitian artists and their contem- revolutionary creativity imbues the artworks in Creating porary colleagues. The exhibition proposes a system of